Puzzle.



No. 656,039 Patented Aug. l4, I900.

- T. J. NOLAN.

PUZZLE.

(Application filed Sept. 6, 1899. Renewed June 13, 1900.)

(No Model.)

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THOMAS JOSEPH NOLAN,

FFICE.'

OF ALBANY, NEW YORK.

PUZZLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 656,039, dated August 14, 1900. Application filed September 6,1899. Renewed June 13, 1900. Serial No. 20,184. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS JOSEPH N0- LAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Albany, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Puzzles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to puzzles, the object being to provide an inexpensive puzzle which will be sufficiently difficult of solution to render it amusing and entertaining.

The construction of the improvement will be fully described hereinafter in connection with the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and its novel features defined in the appended claim.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan View of a puzzle embodying the invention, and Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

The reference-numeral 1 designates a box or board of circular form provided at four equidistant points on its periphery with approximately circular projections or extensions 2. A continuous vertical rim or wall 3 surrounds the board and its extensions 2. Each of the extensions is hollowed out to form a pocket 4, and the center of the upper surface of the board is formed with a depression 5, constituting a central pocket. Each of the pockets l communicates with the central pocket 5 by means of sinuous grooves constituting trackways and designated, respectively, by the numerals 6, 7, 8, and 9. Each of thesetrackways consists of a plurality of convolutions, the innermost one of which terminates at the central pocket 5, the inner ends 10, 11, 12, and 13 of the trackways being disposed at equidistant points around the central pocket or in pairs, the members of each pair being at diametrically-opposite points from each other'with relation to the central pocket 5.

Each of the side'pockets 4k is painted a different coloras, for instance, red, blue,

green, and white and four balls or marbles 14, corresponding in colors to the pockets, are employed with the puzzle. A glass cover 15 is secured over the trackways, said cover resting upon the upper edge of the rim 3, and centrally upon the upper surface of this glass cover is pasted or otherwise secured an opaque supplemental cover 16 to conceal the central from which they started. To accomplish this,

it will be apparent that each ball will have to return through the same track by which ittraveled to the central pocket, and inasmuch as all of the balls enter the center pocket and the latter is covered, so that the balls are concealed from the View of the player, it will require repeated manipulation to return the balls to their starting-pockets.

I claim- A puzzle comprising a box or board formed with equidistant side pockets, and a central pocket; a series of independent trackways consisting of apluralityof convolutions, each of said trackways connecting one of the side pockets with the central pocket corresponding in color to that of the pocket; a ball or marble for each side pocket; a transparent cover for the box or board and a supplemental opaque cover for the central pocket secured at the center of the transparent cover.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS JOSEPH NOLAN.

WVitnesses:

S. HENRY PARKER, RICHARD A. NOLAN. 

